After reading about the social construction of gender, I
have mixed feelings on this argument. The social construction of gender says
that gender roles are learned through socialization, and that there is no
biological reason for gender differences. I volunteer at a local fire
department. Through this experience, I have seen some gender inequality. I am
one of the few girls on my duty crew. When we are getting gear prepared for the
engine or ambulance, there are some things that I tend not to do. For example,
I am not always the one to carry the large bags full of gear. A sociologist who
believes in the social construction of gender might say that this is because
men have been socialized to carry out the physically demanding roles. However,
I think that there is some biological basis to why this happens. I am much
smaller than the men and do not have the physical strength to carry some of the
gear. I think that this could have an effect on the differences in social roles
between men and women in a fire department.
It's the same way with Emergency Medical Technicians. Even when we got hydrolic lifters for the gurnies. So it's still confusing isn't? ^_^;
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear of a similar experience! I have noticed within the male firefighters that they have a certain way of acting and these are norms that they all adhere to. It seems as if they want to come across as being "gentleman-ly," by doing things such as opening the doors for women. I guess that they believe they are acting this way by doing more of the heavy lifting for the women at the fire station.
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